Category: Breakfast & Brunch

Being back to work has been an adjustment, of course, but I think we’re finally… sort of… almoooooost… in a groove! This groove does require being in bed by 9:30 (if I’m lucky) and waking up at 5:00 – but it’s totally a groove!! Hopefully this week I’m going to try and give you an updated “day in the life” kind of post. I always think those posts are super fun! But for now – here’s what’s been up with THIS buttercup!

I’m very lucky that the staff at KinderCare have been so accomodating and willing to send a fairly nervous Momma photos of her babe. Of all the one’s I’ve received, this is the one where Emma is the happiest lol.

Obviously, Emma hasn’t been thrilled at the prospect of being dropped off with strangers. But after three weeks – she’s downing at least two bottles and eating bits and pieces of solids, too, which makes me very happy! Dropping her off is kind of rough, but I’ve kept it together!! Once I’m at work, though, I hardly even have time to check my phone to see how she’s doing before it’s time to head out again! Time has seriously gone by so, so quickly! I can’t believe it’s been three weeks back to work already. I’m loving every second of my new job! (I’m a Project Manager for an Internet Marketer in Harrisburg). I kind of just got thrown right into the fire and am already working with clients – but I can’t imagine it any other way. I learn best by doing, so I think it’s working out pretty well.

I’ve resorted to some serious meal prepping since I’m so busy. I’m all about salads in a jar for lunch. I’ve done an Asian one, a Greek one, and a Southwest one. This week I’m thinking Strawberry Spinach. I plan to write a post on them soon – so we’ll see how that goes. 😉 Hardboiled eggs and string cheese are my snacks of choice – as are grapes, sugar snap peas, baby carrots, and the occasional rice cake with peanut butter and banana on top.

Breakfasts have been protein smoothies, overnight oats, and eggs and avocado toast.

On a good day – I’m up at 5:00am, I feed Emma who then goes back to sleep for a bit (on a good day), I shower, get ready and have time to eat some breakfast before I grab the babe head out the door. Having a flex start time is amazing because I don’t need to stress if I’m running a few minutes later than I’d prefer because I can show up anytime between 8:00am and 10:00am…it’s pretty glorious. Obviously as an early riser I do what I can to get there for 8:00am. So far so good!!

Emma bear is seriously on the move, lately!! And getting into everything! We’ve officially had to start baby proofing…but this drawer just has oven mitts in it…so it’s hers now lol.

And o0o0o0o0o!!!! I had a lovely first Mother’s Day, thanks for asking!!! The hubs and the babe took me to brunch at a place in the Burg I’ve been dying to try – Home 231. I got not 1…but 2 mimosas (I know, I’m wild) and huevos rancheros which were effing delightful. I struggled to pick something, but it’s pretty much a guarantee that if a menu has huevos rancherors Imma get it. Hubs got a burger and fries with some Troegs Perpetual IPA – of course. We brought Emma cheerios so she was a happy camper!

Being back to work really does make me appreciate the weekend again!! Last weekend, I made Em and I matching banana oat pancakes for breakfast. There is something about mini breakfasts that just make me happy inside. She at about half of one of these babies and thoroughly enjoyed the peanut butter on top. I ate all of mine…and one of hers. But I don’t feel bad about it lol. We still haven’t given Em chocolate, so I reserved the chocolate chips for me. Mu-hu-hahaha.

Gosh, don’t you just love breakfast food?! All I want to do now is eat these pancakes. Here is the foolproof recipe!!

Mommy & Baby Banana Oat Pancakes

1 ripe banana, smashed

1 egg (if you haven’t given your baby a whole egg yet, i suggest two yolks.)

1/4 cup rolled oats

Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl. Cook on a griddle over medium heat… like you would any other pancake… and serve!!

I know, that recipe isn’t the most specific. But if you don’t know how to make pancakes I’m sure there is a video on youtube that will show you how… in fact….here ya go! Have at it!! The internets is great, isn’t it?

With naps a part of the every day I have more me time – for things like exercise and blogging;

Without being latched onto me 24/7, I am finally starting to have the time to experiment with new recipes instead of just making the same old all the time;

Sleeping through the night may not be a thing yet, but we’re getting close! A well rested Mom and Baby are a much happier pair!

There are soooooo many different directions I feel like I could take this post. I could talk about the attempted face-lift I’m giving the blog. (It’s still a work in progress – so please forgive the ever changing layouts as of late. I’ll find something I like soon, I’m sure. You’ll also notice a name change! Twenty-Something & Starving has become Mommy Runs for Food! I’ll explain that later, too!) I could discuss with you adventures in breastfeeding and un-planned bed-sharing. I could talk about my latest workout routine, PiYo, and my conversion to being a team beachbody believer. But for today, I think I will stick with the classic quick and easy recipe!

In a perfect world I would eat chocolate every single day without consequence. (The same goes for peanut butter – but I’ll save that for another day.) There may have even been a time not too long ago when I did, in fact, eat chocolate every day. Ooopsies! Now that I’m really back on board the health train, I limit my chocolate intake to a few days a week and mostly have it in the form of protein, Shakeology, and dark chocolate on occasion. So having chocolate for breakfast is kind of my jam!

Now that it’s finally not freezing outside, overnight oats are a staple breakfast for me. At night, once I put Em down to bed, I usually have some decaf tea and get my hubby’s lunch together for the following day. While my water is coming to a boil, it’s soooo easy to just throw some ingredients into a jar and have breakfast ready and waiting for me in the morning. I’ve been experimenting with a few different recipes for overnight oats – but these ones may be my new favorite. Packed with protein and tons of chocolate flavor for a sweet addict like me – waking up has never tasted so good so fast.

Toasted Almond Chocolate Overnight Oats

In a mason jar or container with a lid, mix the following ingredients:

1/4 cup oats (I used steel cut, but rolled would be great, too!)

1/4 cup nonfat vanilla greek yogurt

1/4 cup skim milk

1 scoop chocolate whey protein

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Set in the refrigerator and breakfast is waiting for you in the morning!

Serve topped with 1/2 of a sliced banana, a few chocolate chips, and some toasted slivered almonds!

It’s amazing how much some things can change in such a small period of time. It’s been just about two months since my last post, time has been FLLLLLYYYYYYYYYING by, and I figured it was about time I made my presence known once more!

Well, motherhood is spectacular! Ya know, in an “I-got-peed-on-twice-today” kind of way. Heh.

But in all seriousness, with every passing day I fall more and more in love with my little peanut. How could I not? Look at this face!! She is the silliest, sweetest little thing and I can’t get enough of her!! We’re still nursing successfully and I still spend the bulk of my time during the day with her in my arms either eating or playing. She’s sleeping in much bigger chunks, now, sometimes even 7 hours at night! She’s napping a bit more regularly throughout the day, too, which gives me more time to do things…like write this post!!

So it is a big time for change in the Yoder family! Aside from having a new baby, I’ve decided to stay home with her until I find a job that suits me, ANDDDDD a few weeks ago, the hubby started a new job!! I wanted to make sure that, since he was going to be getting up to hit the gym before work around 5:00am, that had an easy, healthy, and tasty breakfast.

Enter: crock pot.

Johnny and I both really enjoy oatmeal – I pretty much have it for breakfast everyday! I’ve read a ton about making steel cut oats in the crock pot and I decided it was time to give it a whirl, since you just put them in before bed and when you wake up you’ve got breakfast waiting!!

When you’re making steel cut oats, the only thing that’s really important to remember is the 4:1 ratio of liquid to oats – for every cup of oats you’ll need four cups of liquid. With that in mind, I decided to make some apple cinnamon oats – because they are the hubs fave. Here is my recipe:

Apple Cinnamon Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats

2 cups steel cuts oats

8 cups water

3 apples, cored and diced

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Spray the base of your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all of the ingredients in the slow cooker. Cover. Set on low and cook for 8 to 10 hours or until a desired consistency is reached.

BAM! How easy is that?! It keeps wonderfully in the refrigerator, too. I just reheated mine all week, adding about 1/4 cup of skim milk when I heated it just to return that creamy oat consistency. I also served mine with an extra teaspoon of brown sugar, almonds, and pumpkin seeds on top…with some adorable on the side.

Speaking of madness…I feel kind of like a cow. Not in an “Oh my gosh I’m huge” way…more like an “I am a milk machine” kind of way. Ha.

Emma is definitely going through another growth spurt over the last few days and she is a very hungry little lady. It feels like I am nursing her CONSTANTLY! But it’s okay…because she’s adorable…and she’s 1 month old today!!! Oh time. Part of me wants it to stop so she’ll be a little peanut forever…but part of me wants her to eat a little less too…so I suppose I’m okay with it progressing at the rate it is. 🙂

Anywho, I’m actually sharing a new, quick, easy recipe with ya’ll today!! Quick and easy recipes are the only way I can really function these days, so this smoothie is PERFECT!! And it’s peeeeerfect for a nursing momma!! Why? Because it’s got protein and a banana for staying power, flax seed for omega 3’s and to boost that milk supply, and coffee (decaf for me…but you do you) to give you that little boost you most certainly need if your baby is anything like mine and would rather eat all night than sleep! Bananas and coffee may sound a little weird together, but I promise, this smoothie is amazing!!

Banana Latte Smoothie

serves 1

1 frozen, peeled banana

1/4 cup vanilla almond milk

1/4 cup brewed coffee (mine was still warm when I made it and it came out just fine)

1 tablespoon natural peanut butter

1 tablespoon flaxseed meal

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

Sprinkle of cinnamon (optional)

Place all of the ingredients in a blender. Blend. Serve sprinkled with cinnamon if you desire.

I’m not sure if you’ve gathered this about me by now, but I’m not really much of a baker. I can safely say this is the truth for a few reasons.

First and foremost, I’ve always been more of the “creative” type in the kitchen and I always have a very hard time following recipes. It’s not that I’m incapable of doing so. It’s just that baking is so exact that, personally, I can never get that excited about it.

What’s so exciting about following directions??

Nothing, I say!

That’s what I’ve always lovedso much about cooking. Sure, there are techniques that I may need to know or ratios that are important but, ultimately, every time I whip something up in the kitchen the best part, for me, is that I don’t need to think about measuring or having things precisely a specific way and I know that whatever I make will still turn out delicious!

Another thing about baking is that the result of baking is so rarely healthy that I can’t justify even bothering to bake something. Sure, there are some baked goods that I adore. I love a buttery croissant or cheese danish, I swoon over carrot cake, and I have a hard time saying no to brownies (especially if there are nuts in them!). Luckily, though, it’s always pretty easy for me to refuse a slice of chocolate cake, apple pie, or a big deli blueberry muffin. As someone who typically advocates eating healthy, when I DO bake it’s usually something like my banana oat muffin/bars or something similar, where there is no white flour or butter to be found!

For Easter this year, though, when I decided to make breakfast for the family I knew that I wanted to have something sweet to accompany the quiche I was making and although fruit is delicious (and was had in abundance) I decided to give baking something a whirl. Another pastry that I enjoy and my husband in particular loves is coffee cake. Nothing too crazy about it. Not some fancy, fruity, glazed nonsense. Just a lovely cinnamon swirl coffee cake.

I found a fairly basic recipe for a standard classic coffee cake and spruced it up to make it my own (because I just can’t help myself). The batter is spiked with lemon zest and cinnamon and uses white whole wheat flour to get some fiber in your diet! I also used plain, nonfat greek yogurt to replace the traditional sour cream used in most coffee cake recipes and this recipe turned out perfectly moist and tender. The cinnamon swirl contains oats and walnuts to bulk it out because I wanted as much swirl as possible without adding anymore sugar to the recipe. The resulting coffee cake was delightful, especially paired with a steaming hot cup of English Breakfast Tea with milk and honey (or ya know…coffee…if you’re like most people.) I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×9 inch baking dish with some nonstick spray and set aside.

To make he cinnamon swirl: combine the sugars, oats, walnuts, and cinnamon in a small dish. Add the vanilla and the softened butter and, using your hands, smush everything together until the butter is distributed and the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer if that what you’ve got) cream together the butter and sugar for about 5 minutes on medium speed until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, vanilla extract, and lemon zest and mix until just combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly add 1/2 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture with your mixer on low speed. Add 1/2 of the yogurt and combine. Add the remaining flour and combine, followed by the yogurt.

Spread half of the batter into the prepared baking dish. Top with half of the cinnamon swirl mixture. Top with the remaining batter, making sure you spread it out to cover the swirl, and top with remaining cinnamon mixture.

Bake the coffeecake for 45-55 minuets, or until a toothpick (or heck, I always just use a knife) inserted in the center of the coffeecake comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving…preferably to people you love…because you’re not going to want to share this coffeecake with just anyone.

Do you have a favorite breakfast pastry??

Do you prefer coffee or tea??

Last, but certainly not least, don’t forget to grab a badge and link up with your favorite real food recipe, today!!